The present invention relates to a process for the automatic machining of edges of glass plates and to an apparatus for carrying out said process.
The edges of glass plates ar usually subjected to a process known as "polished-edge machining", which consists in performing in succession various passes with increasingly finer grinders along the edge of the plate while keeping the abrasion region wet with water said grinders operate with their axis orthogonal to the plane of the plate to be machined.
The polished edge machining is currently performed with semiautomatic processes, using apparatuses constituted by a central support with a sucker-fitted table, on which the plate to be machined is fixed, and by a grinder supporting arm which can be turned all around the plate and along which a grinder supporting head can be moved radially; the operator grips the head with his hands and, while keeping it pressed against the plate, moves it tangentially all around said plate, in order to machine its edge; these apparatuses are sometimes equipped with electronic devices and, by using a template, allow to semiautomatically machine parts having a simple contour.
This method is generally time consuming and requires expert operators who can optimally measure the pressing effort against the edge of the plate so as to avoid damaging it and also avoid removing excess material; besides, if it is necessary to produce a series of identical parts, said parts will usually be slightly different from one another according to the skill of the operator.